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Tuesday, January 29, 2019

More Tales from the Cutthroat Inn

The same adventurers who took the magician Salassim to the Pylon - that is to say Khurshid, Sweetleaf, Annapurna, and The Pact is Sealed - met with Ion Skamos on the 20th day of the month of the Snow Leopard and decided to investigate a rumor they heard about the Heirophant_of the Spider God hiring bravos for some unwholesome task. On the way to the temple they were accosted by a strange Constable who asserted Sweetleaf and Khurshid were spies, due to their greenish hue. They were soon separated from the constable by the thronging crowds of Regal Street.

Meeting with the Heirophant, they discovered he was offering 500 pieces of gold to whoever could slay the misbegotten Son of the Spider God. They agreed to this and he instructed them to follow the Conqueror's River north until they came to a tripartite fork. Then they were to take the eastmost one into the Dearthwood until they found a ridgeline. It is there, he asserted, that they would find the abode of the Son of the Spider God. He assured them this offspring was from an ill-made trist and it was better for all concerned if he was slain. They agreed to this and set out immediately, exiting from the Gate of the Gods and rounding around the Redoubt of the Dead before heading due north along the river.

Khurshid the Contrarian

Khurshid, acting as their scout, was able to help the group avoid a group of orcs led by an Amazon a few miles north of Woe. Just after taking the eastmost fork, they found a great bell that had sunken into a bog and shone a golden hue. About it was a large group of orcs and a few ogres. They argued over the best way to remove it. Despite desiring the bell, the party decided it was best to avoid fighting and instead moved a few miles away - far enough, they hoped, that the orcs would not see their campfire. They rested without incident and then made their way further into the Dearthwood. Khrushid, again ahead of the party, noticed first the location of a black structure on top of a hill which he knew instinctively to be the abode of the Son of the Spider God, and second that at the base of the hill was a skeleton of a dragon turtle that seemed to be the den of a group of lions. He returned to the party and ably led them downwind of the lines so as not to be found, and up to the structure.After descending a long set of stairs, the group found an antechamber closed with a large, bronze door in the shape of a spider. Inside this chamber a strange illusion caused them to feel like the door was floating in space, held up by an immense, moving web. Pressing on, they found a room with six large pillars, one of which had hidden treasures inside. Finally, they found action as a group of moonraker servants of Yezud attempted to block their way. This initiated a running battle, with Ion blasting them with the sandstorm-fury of Set and the others loosing arrows. Their foes fled into a great chapel, where more of their kind waited along with an acolyte of Yezud. After a few rounds, the moonrakers abandoned this room too, and the party decided it was better to rest than to press on just yet.

After regaining some of their lost stamina, they followed the moonrakers north, only to find an empty chamber. Beyond were seemingly more empty chambers, but these were trapped with poison darts and pressure plates. While testing for a way to get rid of the darts or cross the floor, the Pact is Sealed was attacked by a flameskull, which set about him with magic and gouts of flame. The party was able to destroy it through use of Pact’s famous air punches, the “Finger Guns of Set,” and good old fashioned arrows. While the arrows were the least effective in general, it was one of Annapurna’s that finally ended the creature’s magical unlife.At last they came to a great hall which contained even more moonrakers, though this was to be their last stand. After a tough battle, in which the Pact is Sealed was nearly slain and Khurshid, himself injured, retreated to cower and hope the battle would go the right way, Sweetleaf, Annapurna, and Ion were able to slay the last of this strange cult. However, they were spent, and elected that after a short rest they should head back to the City State of the Invincible Overlord. During their rest, they saw a grim visage of a specter covered in the webs of a spider, but they were able to dissipate it before it could harm anyone.On the way back, Annapurna found a shortcut that returned them quickly to the great bell, which was now free of orcs. To big to move by itself, the party took measurements in hopes of fashioning a wheel to attach to it to make it easier. Khurshid believed it to be worth about 1000gp intact.